State Farm, Ralph Macchio preach car safety

A recent report from auto insurance company State Farm noted that consumers should make safe driving a talking point - especially with young drivers in the home.

The company teamed with actor Ralph Macchio to promote a new advertising campaign to show the importance of teaching smart driving at an early age. There is hope from the company that the project will help lower the overall amount of automotive crashes and auto insurance claims that include teen drivers.

"I think parents forget how different it is to learn to drive in the year 2011 because so many more distractions, from cell phones to iPods, exist," said Macchio. "Parents need to be better equipped to understand the challenges their teens face and teach their teens those safe driving basics."

In addition, the company also has released a series of educational tools to make sure that both parents and kids have the products needed to stay safe, according to the release.

Consumers should also make sure their auto insurance is the best for the price. If it isn't, it could be smart to compare affordable auto insurance quotes.